1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object recognition device, an object recognition method, a program for an object recognition method, and a recording medium having recorded thereon a program for an object recognition method. The present invention can be applied to when a still image of a specific subject is searched from among multiple still images recorded in a database. The present invention has an advantage of suppressing accuracy deterioration even in a model image with a background by segmenting a model image or a processing-target image and setting a base point and a corresponding support point in the same segment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, an electronic still camera or the like detects a desired object to be recognized (hereinafter, called a model object) from a processing-target image by object recognition through template matching. The object recognition through template matching may not sufficiently address when a model object is partially hidden, when the direction of a model object changes, when illumination changes, or the like.
With respect to such object recognition, JP-A-2004-326693 suggests a method that recognizes an object by matching based on the local feature quantity of the model object. According to the method described in JP-A-2004-326693, deterioration in detection accuracy due to a change in illumination can be reduced, and robust object recognition can be made. In this method, however, if the number of texture components in the model object is small, accuracy may be deteriorated.
JP-A-2008-077626 suggests a method that recognizes an object by matching based on a base point within a local area in an edge image of a model object and a support point supporting the base point.
According to the method described in JP-A-2008-077626, as shown in FIGS. 36A and 36B, which show the relationship between a model image M1 and a processing-target image L indicated by an arrow A, when no texture component is present in a model object MO, even if the model object MO is hidden in the processing-target image L, accuracy deterioration can be prevented. The model image is a processing reference image with a model object.